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Join hosts Byrd and Matt as they discuss all things giant monsters, tokusatsu, and Japanese fantasy films. Come here for a regular dose of everything Godzilla, Gamera, King Kong, Ultraman and everything in between!
Episodes
Sunday Dec 31, 2017
Sunday Dec 31, 2017
Byrd and Matt welcome very special guest, author Steve Ryfle to the show for a sprawling interview about the life and career of Ishiro Honda, director of many classic tokusatsu films (among other genres). Steve co-authored the brand new biography, Ishiro Honda: A Life In Film, From Godzilla to Kurosawa (with Ed Godziszewski). This eagerly anticipated book is the first official English biography on Ishiro Honda. It was done with the full cooperation and participation of the Honda family and details his entire life and career (including his more obscure non-genre work). Steve was kind enough to chat with us about the book and about Ishiro Honda's life and career. We discuss the genesis of the book, Honda's war experience, his messages of peace and pacifism, his relationships with Eiji Tsuburaya, Akira Kurosawa and others, and his wonderful catalog of films. So relax and join the conversation!
Sunday Dec 24, 2017
Sunday Dec 24, 2017
MERRY CHRISTMAS! To bring the holiday cheer, Byrd and Matt discuss Love and Peace, the 2015 film directed by acclaimed Japanese auteur Sion Sono. This offbeat holiday film concerns a wannabe rockstar that flushes his pet turtle down the toilet. Said turtle goes deep in the sewer where he meets other pets and toys that have been carelessly thrown away and taken in by a kindly drunk. Meanwhile, our rock star protagonist hits it big and becomes famous. We also get a giant monster attack with special effects by Kiyotaka Taguchi! This film is an interesting blend of comedy, drama, fantasy, romance, tokusatsu, and puppets. And what does Santa Claus have to do with all this? Listen and find out! But first, we have some news regarding master kaiju suit maker Keizo Murase's attempted comeback via a new Kickstarter.
Wednesday Dec 20, 2017
Wednesday Dec 20, 2017
With Christmas right around the corner, Byrd and Matt watched Kihachi Okamoto's BLUE CHRISTMAS (aka Blood Type Blue), deeper cut from the Toho science fiction library. This paranoia-fueled thriller is about a string of UFO sightings that turns the witness's blood blue. The blue bloods are feared by society and the government and well... things get worse from there. So how does this bleak holiday flick stack up? Listen and find out! But first, we give our thoughts on the trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom!
Sunday Dec 17, 2017
Sunday Dec 17, 2017
With Star Wars mania once again sweeping the nation, Byrd and Matt take a look at this TV spin off of the infamous Japanese Star Wars rip off, Message From Space. After that film was released, Toei produced a television series spin off called Message From Space: Galactic Wars, which ran from 1978-1979. When the show was bought by an American distributor, the series was condensed into a feature length movie and released to VHS in the early 1980s under the title Sword of the Space Ark. So how did that go? We have the answer! But first, we have details on our first ever listener contest! Also, lifelong Star Wars fan Byrd gives his spoiler free thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
Sunday Dec 10, 2017
Sunday Dec 10, 2017
Byrd and Matt are joined by guest host and Kamen Rider fan Eric to discuss the cyborg-grasshopper warrior’s output in the 1990s. Commonly given as the easiest entry point for newbies getting into the Kamen Rider series, the franchise’s output in the 90s consisted of the films Shin Kamen Rider (1992), Kamen Rider Zo (1993), and Kamen Rider J (1994), along with the short films Kamen Rider SD, Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider, and Kamen Rider World. Most of these projects heavily involved acclaimed tokusatsu auteur Keita Amemiya in some way or another. Since Byrd and Matt are total KR newbs, Eric helps explain the origins of the franchise, and then we give our thoughts on the shorts and movies. But first we have listener mail, as well as news about the Japanese Godzilla General Election poll, early reviews of Godzilla: Monster Planet and the announcement of that film’s sequel, Tsuburaya’s recent court victory, and the Rampage trailer!
Sunday Dec 03, 2017
Sunday Dec 03, 2017
We're back with an exclusive interview with suit actor/mo-cap performer Mizuho Yoshida! For this episode, Byrd traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan and sat down with Mr. Yoshida for this career spanning interview. Fans know Yoshida best for many iconic roles, including the GMK Godzilla, half of the Legion Queen in Gamera 2, Zeiram, Death Ghidorah and Dagarah in the Mothra films, and Solid Snake in the Metal Gear games. We touch on his beginnings in suit acting, working with tokusatsu visionaries such as Keita Amemiya, Shusuke Kaneko, Shinji Higuchi, and Koichi Kawakita, the difficulties of being in the two person Legion suit, operating GMK Godzilla, motion capture performances, and more!
Special thanks to Hiro Kitagawa for translating!
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
At long last, we're back with more Gamera talk! We are joined by guest hosts Tom and Eric to discuss Shusuke Kaneko's acclaimed Gamera trilogy and 2006's reboot, Gamera the Brave. Kaneko's Gamera trilogy of the 90s remains three of the most beloved kaiju films of all time by both fans and critics. We will talk about whether or not these films earned their reputation and discuss how they hold up in 2017. We then divert our attention to the 2006 reboot, Gamera the Brave which came and went with little fanfare. Did this movie deserve to have such a short shelf life or is it an unsung classic? And what should Daiei be doing with Gamera in this current, kaiju heavy climate? We discuss all this and more!
Tuesday Oct 31, 2017
Tuesday Oct 31, 2017
As a Halloween bonus, Byrd and Matt discuss and review the first screen adaptation of William Hope Hodgson's "The Voice In The Night" (the short story that Toho's Matango was based on). This was an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock produced anthology TV series "Suspicion," which aired on NBC in 1958 and starred James Coburn, Barbara Rush, Patrick Macnee, and James Donald before their careers took off. This TV episode languished in total obscurity for decades until recent years when an old, faded print finally made its way onto Youtube. So how does this early adaptation differ from Toho's cult classic? Is this version or Matango more faithful to the original Hodgson story? Listen and find out! Happy Halloween!
Sunday Oct 29, 2017
Sunday Oct 29, 2017
Just in time for Halloween, Byrd, Matt and guest host Tom take a look at Daiei's Yokai franchise! This includes the original trilogy of 100 Monsters, Spook Warfare, and Along With Ghosts, as well as Takashi Miike's 2004 reboot, The Great Yokai War. You'll hear us discuss all four movies, as well as give a crash course on what a Yokai is, the influence of GeGeGe No Kitaro, and more! These are prime viewing in the month of October, so break out the Adzuki beans and enjoy!
Monday Oct 23, 2017
Monday Oct 23, 2017
On a new October podcast, Byrd and Matt are joined by guest host Tom to discuss Toho's "Mutant Trilogy." It is time to discuss more of Toho's human sized monsters, as we discuss The H-Man (1958), The Secret of the Telegian (1960), and the Human Vapor (1960). Although not as popular as Toho's giant monster films, the mutant films are every bit as noteworthy. As always, we have a lively discussion, as we discuss the origins of these films and give our reviews. Listen and enjoy as we discuss radioactive blobs, a teleporting serial killer, and a vapor man! But first we discuss our thoughts on the new Pacific Rim: Uprising trailer!